In general, the refrigerator, a device for keeping good items at storage at a low temperature, includes a case having a receptacle space such as a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber, etc., a door for opening and closing the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber, and a refrigerating cycle that maintains the food items kept in storage.
The case is formed by the combination of an outer plate that forms the exterior shape and an inner plate that forms a storage space, and typically, a polyurethane foam is filled between the outer plate and the inner plate, such that an insulation effect is increased. The same also applies for the door.
A cooling air duct is provided between the inner plate and the outer plate of the case to provide cooling air into the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber.
In line with the tendency that refrigerators are becoming multi-functional, additional devices such as a home bar, an ice making device, a dispenser, or the like are installed at the door of the refrigerator.
The receptacle space is divided by a separation wall. The interior of the separation wall is filled with polyurethane foam or with separately fabricated plastic foam.
In general, diverse reinforcing components are provided to the refrigerator in order to reinforce the structure.
First, in filling the polyurethane foam, in a state that the inner plate and the outer plate of the case are assembled, a polyurethane foaming solution is injected between the inner and outer plates and then should be heated to allow the polyurethane foaming solution to be foamed. Thus, a reinforcing component for preventing thermal deformation is provided.
Second, various external forces are applied to the case filled with the polyurethane foam while the refrigerator is fabricated and transported. Thus, a reinforcing component for preventing deformation of the configuration of the case is provided.
Third, in the process of filling foam between the inner and outer plates of the case, a flow of foam filled to the inner plate and that to the outer plate with the cooling air duct interposed there between are different, causing a bent portion on the outer plate. Thus a reinforcing component is provided to prevent it.
Fourth, when the additional devices are installed at the door, a bent portion is generated on the inner plate or the outer plate of the door due to the additional device in the process of filling foam in the door. In this case, a reinforcing component is also provided.
Fifth, the characteristics of a lower end portion of a side wall of the case are such that the quality of the polyurethane foam thereof becomes degraded, which causes deformations or the like on the outer plate of the side wall. Accordingly, a reinforcing component is provided to prevent this from occurring.
Finally, when polyurethane foam is used as the separation wall, the polyurethane foam is contracted to cause a bent portion on the outer plate of the separation wall. Thus, in order to prevent such deformation, a reinforcing component is provided.
However, the above-mentioned related art reinforcing component for a refrigerator has following problems.
The related art refrigerator reinforcing component is made of iron to acquire high strength, which makes the weight of the refrigerator heavy. Thus, when the refrigerator is shipped for transportation, it can hardly use a conveyer system.
In addition, 25 countries of the European Union established WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulates that electrical and electronic equipment wasted in the zone of the European Union should be obligatorily marked and retrieved. According to this regulation, a deposit is calculated in proportion to the weight of the refrigerator, degrading price competitiveness in exporting refrigerators.
Moreover, the related art reinforcing component does not take an applied load condition into consideration, failing to have an effective structure.